Originally written May 31, 2018 on AO3. After Shadowside came out but before I watched it. I'm actually loving that series so far. Expect a story on it one day.

[Original Notes: I wrote this at school thinking it was gonna be only 500 words or so, but it ended up being 1000. Whoops.

This is kinda sad sorry.

I've put a few headcanons on Nate here, and they're what I'll be sticking with if I write another Yokai Watch story. So yeah, if one of those ever comes and your lost, this is your reference.]


Nate Adams is not stupid. No matter what other people say, he's not stupid. He can read level four books, write a paragraph with only a few errors, and can even do some math. He's smart – smarter than a lot of seven year olds these days.

His mom always says that he's smart, too. One time, he helped her make eggs and bacon for breakfast, what, a year ago? Afterwards (he made them successfully with just a few small burns, she gave him a big hug and rewarded him with a milkshake from the nearest ice cream shop. It was so worth it, and he told her that he'd do it every weekend.

So seven-year-old Nate Adams cooked eggs every Saturday, earning a hug each time (no milkshake, but the hug amounted for much of the same). Not only that, but he packs his own lunch every day, answered questions at school, and came home and helps his mom with the dishes.

He did it, and he liked it. Like a big boy.

See? Not stupid. A big boy like him is not stupid.

But tonight, when he gets home from school, ready to clean, his mom isn't doing the dishes or doing the laundry like she usually is. No, she's sitting on the couch, clutching the TV remote in her left hand like it has just killed her family. Her expression is soft, and shows the smallest hints of sadness and frustration.

It's not normal, but he shrugs it off. He's a big boy, after all; big boys can get accustom to anything.

So he greets her with his usual hello, and declares that he's home. When he does this, her eyes move downward. She replies, but her voice is so crisp that there's clearly something wrong.

And of course there is. She tells him to sit down, and hold tight. So he does, staring at her with pure, childish curiosity. He awaits the news:

His father has a new job. And, of course, it's not just any new job. It's a job all the way in Japan, in a place called Springdale. Why does a Japanese place have such an English name? It doesn't really make sense, but he doesn't really think much of it. The town is famous for its cherry blossoms, apparently.

But he had just gotten used to the kids in his current school calling him stupid. Now he has to change schools? What if he gets called stupid again, or another name?

Even though these feelings aren't suppressed (if he did suppress them, his shadow will dawn on him even more), Nate goes with his parents to Springdale. He doesn't really have a choice. Besides, he just has to accept that this is his life now, and then mature.

He's a big boy, after all.

When Nate arrives at Springdale Elementary School a week later, he holds his head high. Class 2-2, he repeats over and over again in his head. Before he walks into class, he pauses. He grips the bottom of his shirt, mimicking how girls clutch the bottom of their skirts. He practices his fake smile. And so he opens the door.

A number of – maybe twenty? – stares meet his proud gaze, and the proudness suddenly turns into anxiety, fear. As she speaks to another crying student, she looks over and acknowledges him by looking into his direction and smiling. She asks him if he's Nathan; the full name that he never uses. He says yes, though, because technically he is Nathan.

She introduces herself as Sandra Sans. He greets her with an enthusiastic hello, then tells her that it's nice to meet her. It's no a lie, not really. He really is happy to be gone from that school.

"You're so stupid, Nathan! A small kid like you could never be the ultimate Yolo Watch master!"

He shivers.

Miss (or is it Mrs? He's not sure; she's not wearing a ring) Sans tells him to take a seat behind the fat boy in blue and in front of the girl with the ponytail. He does so.

Miss Sans – he settles on Miss due to her ring-less fingers – begins to teach the class about basic multiplication. Nate already knows how to do ten times ten, and ten times nine, and all the other ten multipliers. All he needs to remember now is sevens and eights.

He takes a sip out of the black water bottle at the top lefthand corner of his desk. It's still cold – his mom must have put ice in it or something like that.

The girl behind him taps on his shoulder. When he looks back, he sees that she's smiling kindly. She seems nice, though he's not sure.

He tries to ask what she wants, but no words can come out of his mouth. He tries to get them out, but he just can't. When he tries, the words are blocked by a wall of saliva. So instead, he cocks his head to the side.

She asks what his name is, stating that her's is Katie. A nice-sounding name, he observes. She still wears that kind smile on her face. Once again, no words can come out. So he write his name on his journal cover and holds it up.

N-A-t-E

It's not his full name, but it's the name he gets called by. And it's the name that doesn't give him stress.

Katie stares at it, as if taking in the letters, then giggles. She comments on how it's a nice name, but it's pretty—

It's pretty average, y'know?

Nate nods, as if he understands. He doesn't. Why is that average? Why is his name average but her's is not?

She comments on his hair. She begins talking about how her cousin has the exact same haircut, as well as another boy in the class – she points to him when she says this. Then, the word comes out of her mouth again.

Average.

Nate withstands it, and tells himself that she wasn't trying to be mean. He can take her insults, even if they are. Because what is he? A big boy.

According to his classmates, Nate Adams is a stupid, average little boy. But in reality, he's a smart, special big boy.

But really, they're all special and smart in their own ways. What is normal, anyway?

Fin